How to Avoid Catching a Cold or the Flu

Autumn is quickly fading into winter. While some celebrate this time of year by breaking out the scarves and sweaters, there’s always risk floating in the air.

Quite literally, actually.

During the winter months, we spend more time indoors and let fresh air in less. This creates an environment that’s rife with airborne particles, some of which carry illnesses.

In this post, we’ll teach you how to avoid catching a cold and flu this season.

Mind the Seasons

We’ve already touched on this topic in the introduction, but it’s important to elaborate on why it’s so important.

Chances are good you know the common cold and the flu are more active in the winter months, but do you know why? There’s more to it than being locked indoors for months at a time.

Rather, it has more to do with the characteristics of the viruses themselves. The winter months are generally characterized by dry and cold weather. Which, as luck would have it, are the ideal conditions required for the transmission of the cold and flu viruses.

Both the common cold and the flu are more stable in cold and dry air than warm and moist air. As such, these illnesses are much more likely to survive longer in the winter months. That is, they can survive long enough to find their way to a new host.

Drink More Tea, Less Booze

You can sanitize stuff with alcohol, so why can’t you sanitize your cold or flu with alcohol, too?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Alcohol has the opposite effect, actually.

When you consume alcohol, your sleep patterns become interrupted. While this does depend on the amount consumed, it’s safe to say that if you drink, your sleep quality will be compromised. Additionally, it interferes with the most restful periods of sleep.

Due to this, your body’s ability to fight off infections is also compromised.

Instead of reaching for the bottle, try brewing up a cup of tea instead. Teas are rich in antioxidants that help cleanse your system and improve your body’s performance. Furthermore, the steam from the tea softens the mucus in the sinuses, enabling them to clean out germs more effectively.

Watch Your Diet

Your diet should first and foremost be balanced between all your daily needs. That is, don’t overdo the carbs in favor of less protein. And don’t skimp on the fruit because you’re eating more protein.

When learning how to avoid catching a cold, eating more fruits and vegetables (especially leafy greens) is a great place to start.

Fruits are packed full of vitamin C, which helps boost the function of your immune system. Eating healthy also maintains balance within the body. With all cylinders firing correctly, you’ll be ahead of the game when it comes to learning how to avoid catching a cold or the flu.

Work Out

There are myriad benefits to physical activity. If you’re wondering how to avoid catching a cold or flu this season, it wouldn’t hurt to start lifting weights and getting your body moving.

Physical exercise is a great way to decrease levels of stress found in the body. With increased stress comes an increased risk of coming down with a cold or the flu. Help your body fight off potential bugs by giving it the exercise it needs.

Even as little as 30 minutes a day has the potential to greatly improve your health while decreasing your levels of stress.

Sanitize Your Stuff

Germs are literally everywhere. They’re on everything you touch, in the air you breathe, lurking around every dark corner.

Learning how to avoid catching a cold doesn’t have to include sealing yourself in a bubble. To help give your body a fighting chance, try sanitizing all the items you use regularly. These items may include your phone, TV remote, and other surfaces in your home.

Sanitizing your personal items is especially important at work and in the office. The workplace is typically a hazardous area in cold and flu season. With so many people sharing the same space, germs are nearly everywhere.

Clean Air

As previously mentioned, during the winter months we tend to seal ourselves indoors. So we’re not exposed to clean air as often as in other months.

As the winter drags on, the air inside your home can become quite dusty, putting you and your family at risk of contracting a virus. There are ways to combat these bugs from entering and staying in your home, however.

Sanitizing your home is the most important place to start. From there, ensure you and your family stay well-fed.

If you must go all winter without letting fresh air in, consider investing in an air filter. If you already have an air filter, consider installing an antimicrobial one. A recent post by Excell Air Filters explains that these types of filters help prevent airborne illnesses from entering and spreading around your home so that one easy step could add up to big benefits.

Flu Shot

One of the best and most recommended ways to fight the flu is by getting your shot. The flu shot protects people from about four different strains of influenza.

The virus changes rather quickly, and as a result, the flu shot changes from year to year. Contact your doctor to find out where you can get the flu shot. Sometimes workplaces even offer clinics that provide the shot for free.

Rest Up

One of the most important aspects of fighting the cold and flu is to get adequate rest. If your body isn’t well rested, your immune system isn’t working as well as it should.

Be sure to enough sleep every night and avoid alcohol. Working out can help improve rest, as well.

How to Avoid Catching a Cold and Enjoy the Season

There are steps you can take to avoid catching a cold and flu. You don’t have to seal yourself away until spring or hibernate in fear of catching any germs.

Rather, take the steps listed in this article and use them as a starting point for combatting illness this winter.